The Hebrews’ flight from Egypt is on a lot of Jewish minds right now, as the annual cycle of Torah readings has reached the Book of Exodus.
On the ground in Minneapolis: It’s an occupation
They go by call signs like “Mr. Grinch,” “Ratatouille” and “Cold Toes.” They work within pods to patrol their neighborhoods by car, on foot and on bicycle. They sign up for shifts and have protocols for how to document ICE’s…
Calls to defund ICE go unheeded in House vote
A coalition of civil and human rights organizations is demanding members of Congress oppose legislation that would boost the scope and cruelty of President Donald Trump’s immigration detention and deportation programs. Nevertheless, that funding passed the House of Representatives Jan….
Are we OK with children going missing?
A child was taken. Taken from routine. Taken from familiarity. Taken from the quiet assumptions that adults would keep him safe. Five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, moved across state lines, shipped to Texas…
Why do people deny the evidence before their eyes?
“The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.” Over the last week, in the wake of Renee Good’s murder by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis, this quote…
Let’s talk about how Cities Church treats women
“David Easterwood is a pastor here. He is also the director of the Field Office for ICE in St. Paul. So someone who claims to worship God, teaching people in this church about God, is out there overseeing ICE agents,”…
Faith leaders call for end to ICE aggression in communities
The tactics of masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents hunting down people of color evokes memories of the oppression Black Americans have faced throughout U.S. history, said Boise Kimber, president of the National Baptist Convention USA. “ICE reminds us of…
Cities Church isn’t being persecuted for righteousness
MAGA churches are not being persecuted for righteousness but for not loving their neighbors. They are being persecuted by unexpected judgment like Jesus cleansing the temple. Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn., is not being persecuted for faithfulness to the…
Protest at St. Paul church ignites cries of religious persecution
In a year of political divisiveness, a Sunday protest at a Southern Baptist Church in St. Paul, Minn., has drawn a new line in the sand. Protesters led by former CNN anchor Don Lemon entered Cities Church during Sunday morning…
‘This is a five-alarm fire’
Civil rights advocates are protesting the arrests of lawfully resettled refugees as part of the Trump administration’s widening mass detention and deportation campaign. Federal immigration agents have arrested dozens of refugees who were cleared by extensive security screenings before being…
A dispatch from the USA to Christians in Italy (and beyond)
The editor of Riforma, an Italian-language newspaper published by and for Baptists, Methodists and Waldensians in Italy, invited me to contribute a front-page article for this week’s edition sharing my perspective on recent events in the United States. This is what…
We do not know all the names
I need to say this plainly: We do not know all the names. That is part of what has been sitting so heavily with, or maybe even on, me. Over the last 12 months, approximately 32 people have died in…